Five candidates in line to replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has become used with record smashing and re-setting now. The Portuguese legend scored twice against Juventus in the Champions League final to break the 600 career goals milestone. And while CR7 still has some way to go reach Pele’s 1000 goal, it cannot be denied Ronaldo’s the best football’s got at the moment.

He has spent eight years at Real Madrid now, but latest reports making rounds are saying he wants out of Santiago Bernebeu. According to some of the outlets, they claimed the Portuguese was disappointed of how Real Madrid handled his involvement in a tax fraud case worth €14.7 million, and he has set his mind on leaving the European and La Liga current holders.

Ronaldo’s form this season have not been impressive. So far, he has only scored two goals in La Liga while his two goals in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park are touches of old times, Ronaldo has little else to show this season.

As his current contract draws closer, questions over who will replace him now appears to be the trending topic, should he decide to leave Madrid finally. And it seems the club is well prepared.

Neymar shocked the football world after breaking the world’s transfer record when he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for a mouth-watering €222 million. Neymar’s underlying principle behind his exit from Nou Camp was getting out of Lionel Messi’s shadow.

Neymar continues to shine in France, having seen the net eleven times in twelve appearances as of mid-November. However, if reports from The Sun bears fruit, the Brazilian is far from being happy in Paris, despite attempts by Unai Emery to calm the situation.

Previous reports in Spain claimed that Neymar’s father has already met with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in bid to discuss the terms for Neymar replacing Ronaldo at Bernabeu in two years’ time.

Neymar will certainly remain with PSG this season in bid to help the Les Parisiens in the Champions League quest this season, but Real can trigger a move for him should Ronaldo continue mis-firing.

The Tottenham’s talisman has been the most courted player for three years now, probably followed up with a huge pay rise. Harry Kane scored 29 goals last season, winning the Premier League Golden Boot Award. The England international has netted 14 goals in 15 matches across all competition for Tottenham so far this season.

The Three Lions captain role for Tottenham is significant. Some have gone as far as labeling Spurs as Harry Kane’s team. Real Madrid were reported to have offered the North London club a huge €200 million to secure his services with Kane responding in a positive manner about the prospect.

With his brilliant performances, it’s clear that Kane is playing to win trophies and there are bigger chances of that happening if he choose to ply his trade at Real Madrid.

Kylian Mbappe has become a sensation after his superb performances with AS Monaco in 2016/17 saw the Red and Whites land the Ligue 1 title last season. The 19-year-old starlet scored 26 goals for Monaco last season.

Several clubs were linked with Mbappe, but the French youngster has not hidden his admiration for Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, who he has admitted he trying to emulate. Mbappe is plying his trade at PSG at the moment and has been making rounds so far. He has scored 7 goals in 13 matches in all competition. *stats as of match played on 14 November, 2017 via Wikipedia.*

Hazard was linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer. Some people would think it was a crazy gesture for Chelsea to let the 26-year-old Belgian ace go. Well, they are right. Hazard was influential to Blues squad that won the 2016/17 Premier League and they need to hold onto the ace no matter who comes calling.

Hazard has been consistent for Chelsea since the past five years now. He earned the Premier League Best Player for the 2014/15 season and netted 16 goals last season. He has an excellent goal-scoring technique despite the fact that he is a genuine striker.

However, the ex-Lille star expressed his admiration to Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane, saying that playing under the French legend is “a dream”.

Rumours suggest Real’s interest is mutual, and that is no surprise with Hazard fitting into the Galacticos profile quite handily.

The 23-year-old Argentinian forward has gained worldwide recognition following his move from Palermo to Juventus in 2015. Dybala is also reported to be on Manchester United radar and has also been linked with a move to play alongside his compatriot Lionel Messi at Barcelona.

However, should Ronaldo decide to leave Real Madrid, the Portuguese legend’s likely to go to Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Dybala as a good option to replace him at Santiago Bernabeu.

Last season, Dybala scored 19 goals for the Serie A holders across all competition and scored twice in Juventus 1st leg Champions League fixture against Barcelona earlier this year.

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Bertrand Francois is the editor of Football Weeks. An experienced online and print journalist, Jamie has worked for IRAIW, Arsenal Presser, Soccerlens and countless other media sources over the years. He is from Republic Du Benin and lives in the busiest town Cotonou. - Facebook and Twitter

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